


Dawn

by fightforyourwrite



Category: Disney Princesses, Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Genre: Anxiety, Children of Characters, F/M, Married Life, Parenthood, Post-Canon, Royalty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-11
Updated: 2020-01-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:01:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22208317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fightforyourwrite/pseuds/fightforyourwrite
Summary: It’s parenthood that makes Aurora put her childhood in perspective.
Relationships: Aurora & Phillip (Disney), Aurora/Phillip (Disney)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	Dawn

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: beldovia is just a fake name of my own making that i use whenever i need to name a fictional country.

Aurora is twenty-two when she realizes that she’s pregnant. Her suspicions were ignited after a few repeated incidents of nausea and peculiar dinnertime cravings, but it is Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather who help confirm the news for sure. 

Magic certainly has a way of making things easier.

When she discovers it, her heart is filled with nothing but joy. The idea of being a mother fills her with the most effervescent glee. She grins like a fool, then grabs Fauna’s hands for an impromptu celebratory waltz. Flora and Merryweather can’t help but laugh — it seems that some things never change.

The next week, Aurora takes to smiling coyly whenever her husband is around. She wonders how long it will take for Phillip to catch on. At first, he suspects nothing — whether it be because of the numerous distractions that come with being royalty, or because he is just  _ that  _ oblivious.

After a week of coquettish grins, Aurora decides to take matters into her own hands. One day, she asks Phillip if he wants to go for a walk in the woods. He says yes, and once they are alone amongst the trees, Aurora tells him the news.

Once he processes the information, he is just as ecstatic as she is. Like the loving husband he is, Phillip sweeps her into his arms and spins her around. He tells her that this might be one of the happiest days of his life, then presses a kiss to her lips. 

On the way back to their castle, he is practically giddy. His excitement towards being a father makes Aurora’s heart soar. 

They wait a few weeks to tell their families. 

Aurora’s parents are told over a meal inside their dining hall. When Stefan and Leah hear the news, one can assume that even the guards on top of the castle heard their King and Queen cry out. Leah sheds a tear and Stefan brings everyone, Phillip included, into a long, joyous hug. Immediately, Stefan brings up the idea of names and Leah playfully quells his eagerness, then is quick to assure Aurora that she will be there to help every step of the way. 

When Hubert finds out, he grins widely and immediately tells a servant to grab a bottle of wine — apparently, he had been saving one particular vintage for the happy day. He almost calls for a celebratory banquet to be thrown in his grandchild’s honor. Luckily, both his son and daughter-in-law are able to convince him to put any celebratory actions on hold until the child is actually born.

As happy as the news is, neither Phillip nor Aurora are ready for the information to become public. 

Later that night, Phillip and Aurora are in their bedchambers. Phillip rubs Aurora’s shoulders and they talk about what room in their castle will be the one for their child. 

While they talk, Aurora notices that her hands keep trembling. They have been doing this ever since she first made the realization. She is not entirely sure what it is, although it could easily be her nerves. She had not felt this nervous about anything ever since the evening of her sixteenth birthday, and that day is years behind her now. The teenage girl she used to be is now an echo in her mind, a mere memory of what once was. 

That evening, Aurora stays awake, curled up against her husband with her head resting on his chest. Phillip himself is resting quite peacefully. Aurora stares blankly at a wall and lets her mind wander. Like every night, it takes hours of thoughtless nothing until she finally dozes off into a quiet, dreamless slumber.

* * *

Aurora is aided through her pregnancy by her mother and her aunts. They help her when her feet get too large for her shoes or when her mornings get plagued with nausea. Even in the early days, the small bump on her stomach feels bigger than it really is. 

Phillip remains by her side as well, obviously. He strokes her hair whenever the odd moodswing strikes, he holds her in his arms when she bemoans not being able to dance anymore, and he rubs her tired feet while they discuss names.

Speaking of names, the subject becomes a recurring topic of conversation in their bedchambers. Some suggestions — like Christopher, Rupert, Audrey, or Mary — get a warm reception, while others — Windermere, Herman, Ermintrude, or Marguerite — do not. 

When the nine months are up, Aurora gives birth to a healthy baby girl. By then, her and Phillip have finally decided on a name — Dawn. 

Holding her daughter for the first time makes tears stream from Aurora’s eyes. The feeling is indescribable — like the day she reunited with her parents six years ago, or the first dance she shared with Phillip as husband and wife.

* * *

Dawn’s christening comes swiftly after her birth. 

Aurora has been dreading the day ever since she became pregnant. The few dreams she does have involve a flash of green light near little Dawn’s cradle, a malicious voice casting a curse on the poor infant, and a pair of parents being helpless to defend their child. It’s dreams like these that make Aurora wonder why she even bothers trying to sleep anymore. 

When Aurora relays her fears to Phillip, he kisses her forehead and promises her that nothing bad will happen on the day. He calls for extra security on the day of the celebration, and the Three Good Fairies make sure to do a thorough sweep of the palace, ensuring that every nook and cranny is sealed for real this time. No one wants to see history repeat itself. 

To Aurora and Phillip’s relief, the whole affair goes on without a hitch. Friends and family are brought into the throne room, fireworks boom outside, trumpets roar to the kingdom and Princess Dawn is officially welcomed into their world. 

Like her mother before her, Dawn is given gifts by the Three Good Fairies. Flora gives her beauty and Fauna gives her song, and Merryweather gives the gift of intelligence.

* * *

Aurora takes to motherhood quite well. Even as her royal duties increase, she always makes time to give Dawn every luxury and comfort. She nurses the baby at her breast at day and sings sweet lullabies to her at night. She calms the little one during crying fits and reads her bedtime stories in all the funny voices she can muster. 

Dawn enjoys the presence of both her parents. She loves spending time with her Mama, whether they be playing hide-and-seek in the castle gardens or reading in the castle library. Dawn also loves playing with her Papa, often asking him when he will finally teach her how to wield a sword. 

On Aurora’s request, the only answer Phillip can ever give Dawn is:  _ “One day when you’re older.” _

Aurora thinks that Dawn grows up too quickly. It feels like one moment, Dawn is just a little thing who cannot even support her own head, but before she knows it, Dawn is suddenly a curious and precocious child.

She becomes quite fond of exploring the castle barefoot, often shedding her shoes once her Mama says that it’s okay. She also gets into the habit of playing with animals, whether it be Samson in the stables or one of the tiny ones found in the palace gardens. It gets to a point where the young princess starts sneaking little creatures into the palace. There’s one incident where Dawn slips a pond turtle into the palace under her sleeve. Phillip and Aurora are less mad and are more impressed — the little one can’t even read yet but knows how to smuggle animals into her home. 

It’s parenthood that makes Aurora put her childhood in perspective. It doesn’t help that Dawn has inherited Aurora’s hair and eyes. It’s hard for Aurora to look at her daughter and not see a reflection of her younger self. Even Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather remark that seeing little Dawn running around reminds them of a time where they lived without magic for sixteen years.

Every time Dawn rolls in the grass outside the castle or plays tricks on the guards, Aurora can’t help but wonder if she would have done the same if her childhood wasn’t so complicated.

* * *

Stefan and Leah absolutely adore their grandchild. It’s not to say that Hubert doesn’t either, but Stefan and Leah put in just a bit more effort towards their status of grandparents. They arrive a day in advance to every birthday, make sure to visit for every holiday, and spend every second of every visit doting over little Dawn. 

At first, Aurora thought it was odd. They did enough by just being present in the first place. But then, after much contemplation, Aurora realizes the truth of the matter. 

While Hubert is just as much of a grandparent as they are, at least he got to raise a child. He raised Phillip from the day he was born and was there for his first words, first steps, and first smile. Stefan and Leah, however, were not given that privilege. Even if it was for good reason, they still had their daughter taken away from them as a mere newborn. 

The room in the palace that would have been hers grew dusty after years of neglect. The halls of their home had never heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet. Neither Stefan nor Leah could say that they ever got a chance to tuck in their daughter at night. 

Aurora is not mad about this, it’s not in her nature to be. She doesn’t blame her parents for wanting to make up for the years lost through their grandchild.

Besides, it wasn’t their fault that Aurora could not spend her childhood with them. Why be mad at them for something they could not control?

* * *

When Dawn is four years old, Phillip is called away on a trip. A trade treaty needs to be renewed between his father’s kingdom and the one across the mountains. As far as he knows, he will likely have to stay there overnight, as the Beldovian King is known for being quite fussy. 

The hassle of the trip bothers Phillip, as any task that takes him away from his family does. He brings up the topic to his wife at night, when they are resting in bed and enjoying the other’s presence. Aurora kisses his forehead and tells him that it will be alright. With both their fathers being on the more elderly side, more royal duties have been popping up. One day, these trips will become more and more unavoidable. It was best for both of them to get used to it now. 

It is in Phillip’s absence that Aurora decides to visit her parents with Dawn. The journey is quick and they arrive in the late morning. Stefan plays with his granddaughter in the palace gardens. Despite his old age, he manages to keep up with Dawn in their game of tag. 

Leah and Aurora watch from inside the castle while enjoying a spot of tea. It is there that Aurora relays her thoughts to her mother, the feelings of loss that plague her every time she sees Dawn playing around the castle. 

Leah does her best to calm Aurora’s more complicated thoughts. Parenthood is a difficult thing, even from the way she experienced it. Leah strokes Aurora’s hair and tells her that what’s past is past, and there’s nothing they can do about it now. The only thing they can do is focus on the future and make sure that Dawn grows up to be glorious young woman.

At one point in the afternoon, a servant calls Leah away for a quick task. Leah leaves the room and promises her daughter that she will soon be back. Even now, she hates wasting any moment with Aurora.

Now alone, Aurora’s curiosity takes control. After a few moments of silent contemplation, she leaves the small room as well. 

In the castle hallways, she walks around nervously, trying to trust her memories of the place. Understandably, there aren’t much of them. Somehow, Aurora finds the room she is looking for. When she sees a familiar door, the memories start coming back to her. 

Suddenly, she remembers being Briar Rose and coming to the palace with a hood over her head. She remembers living a life as a foundling child raised by three Aunts, then feeling that life peel away in layers as she took her first steps into the palace. 

When it all comes back to Aurora, her hands start to shake. Determined, she narrows her eyes at the familiar door and reaches over. With a brave face, she grasps the handle and gives it a turn. 

The room is oddly untouched. The vanity mirror that Aurora once cried at has accumulated quite the layer of dust, the curtains seem like that have not been moved in ages, and the fireplace looks utterly desolate. 

It’s been ten years since she’s been in this room, ten years of nightmares and panic attacks filled with spinning wheels and sickly green lights. 

To Aurora’s surprise, she feels nothing now that she’s in the room. She doesn’t cry, nor does she lose her cool. She simply steps in, looks around, and wonders if her parents have purposely left the room unopened and unused. She runs a finger across the old vanity mirror, collecting some of the dust on her finger tip. Then she goes to the fireplace and kneels down, wondering what might happen if she pushes hard enough on the back wall.

_ “Mama?” _

The sound of a familiar voice brings Aurora back into her reality and she turns around as quickly as she can. When she sees little Dawn standing in the door, a flood of fear suddenly swells inside of her. Her breath hitches in her chest and goes unsteady, her stomach clenches uncomfortably, her hands begin to tremble madly. 

“Dawn!” Aurora cries out as she runs to her daughter. She hastily grabs the little one, runs out of the room, then closes the door behind them. 

Understandably, Dawn is quite confused about the whole ordeal. “What are you doing?” she asks once her mother puts her down. 

“I was just… I was just… th-th-that room, I was...” Aurora tries to say, but her short breaths make it hard to speak. It’s unfitting for a royal to stutter like this, yet Aurora feels like she might cry. 

Somehow she fights back her own tears and manages to say: “You must never go in there, do you understand?”

“What?”

“Promise Mama that you will never go into that room, please!” Aurora says desperately. She feels like she’s begging now. 

Despite Dawn being four, her Mama’s worried tone doesn’t go unnoticed. She stands there and nods her head. “I promise,” she agrees, although she is entirely oblivious to what exactly she’s agreeing to. 

Unsure what to do next, Dawn simply says: “Grandpa and Grandma are looking for you.” 

The suddenly normalcy of the conversation alleviates Aurora to a small extent. She can feel her breath slowing down, her anxiety fading away with every passing second.

“Is that so?” she manages to say. Her stomach settles and the tension in her head starts to vanish.

“They want to know where you went.”

“They always want to,” Aurora replies. She picks up Dawn up. “And for good reason. Come on, let’s find them.” 

With her daughter safe and secure in her arms, Aurora walks down the hall. Dawn plays around with her mother’s long hair while Aurora searches for her parents in the castle. 

During the carriage ride back home, Dawn falls asleep on her mother’s lap and Aurora glances out of the window towards the kingdom that will one day be hers.

* * *

The next day, Dawn’s tutor arrives for a lesson and Aurora has some time to herself. She decides to wear her old peasant dress to spend her afternoon in the garden. She sits near the stream that flows away from the castle, placing a good book in her lap and dipping her bare feet into the water. 

As she reads, Aurora notices something in the corner of her eye. When she looks away from her book, she sees a small turtle walking near the stream. It is dark green in color and moves as fast as its short tiny legs can take it, which is not fast at all. It appears to have been lured by the cluster of grapes Aurora took from the kitchen. It immediately starts nibbling at a berry. 

“I think I recognize you” Aurora remarks, smiling. She puts her book down then takes the small reptile into her hands. She grabs a single grape and feeds it to the creature by hand. “Weren’t you the one my daughter tried to sneak into the palace?” 

When the turtle finishes the grape, Aurora gently pets the reptile’s head with her index finger and it looks up at her with its dark beady eyes. While she admires the pattern of its shell, the sound of a voice alerts Aurora that she is not alone.

_ “Making new friends?”  _

She turns her head to see Phillip standing by the shrubbery. He is still clad in his travelling cloak and hat. 

“In a way,” Aurora replies, smiling coyly at her husband. “It has been getting quite lonely around here.”

Phillip chuckles. He starts to walk towards Aurora, undoing the clasps on his cloak and removing his hat. He places them down by a tree near the stream. After that, he takes off his boots and sits down next to his wife, dipping his bare feet into the water as well.

“I missed you,” Aurora says. She puts the turtle down and lets it nibble on her cluster of grapes. She then presses a kiss to Phillip’s lips, then says, “I was expecting to see you this evening. When did you get back?” 

“Half an hour ago,” Phillip explains, leaning close and putting his arm around her. “The Beldovian King decided to let me go early.”

They stay like this for a while. Phillip’s calloused hand holds Aurora’s and he rests his chin on the top of her head. As Aurora delights in the feeling of Phillip running her thumb over her palm, the idea of bringing up yesterday comes to mind. She starts to wonder if it’s worth saying now, or if it’s better saved for their bedchambers in the evening. 

Aurora wriggles her toes in the freshwater, then looks towards her husband. 

“Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.” 

Aurora explains it as best as she could. She starts with the visit to her parent’s castle, then explains her  _ “brilliant” _ idea to visit the room where her worst nightmare all started. Phillip seems understanding as she goes on to describe how little Dawn found her mother inside the room, and how Aurora panicked and stuttered after carrying her out. 

As she speaks, Aurora feels her hands shaking again. Phillip notices the trembling in her fingers, then places his palm over hers. 

“I just don’t know if we should tell her,” Aurora finishes, looking deeply into Phillip’s beautiful eyes. 

“About the curse?”

Aurora nods her head.

“She’s four,” Phillip reminds. “I don’t think she would understand. She can’t even read yet.”

His joke makes Aurora laugh, giving her some much-needed alleviation from the tension. She smiles slightly. “I know,” Aurora starts. “But my Aunts kept that secret from me for sixteen years, and I have always wondered how things would have turned out if they told me the truth earlier.” 

Phillip has heard her say this before, and every time he has, he nods his head and tells her that it’s okay that she feels that way. But now, he’s not sure what to say. There seems to be no right or wrong answer. 

Perhaps parenthood has changed the both of them, for better or for worse. 

A few wordless moments pass. Aurora is looking down and Phillip is only looking at her, so he reaches over and gently tips her chin up so that their eyes meet. 

“One day when she’s older,” Phillip says softly, then he leans in to place a kiss on her lips. “She’ll understand then.”

Then Aurora falls into him. She wraps her arms around his torso and presses her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as if it were the sweetest lullaby on earth. “I hope so,” she whispers, and she feels Phillip placing another kiss on the top of her head.

Suddenly, Aurora’s voice goes curt. “By the way, we’re telling her about curse before you teach her how to use a sword.” 

Phillip chuckles. “Whatever you say, my love.” 

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you enjoyed my attempt at creating more aurora/phillip content in a world where there's not much of it


End file.
